a brave new world
by Aiko Isari
Summary: XW AU. Bagramon sees a different prophecy, a new end of the war. But it requires a new turning point. Possibility has never seemed so red.
1. Chapter 1

_Warning for intentional tense mix up, and stranger danger_

* * *

 _one – the wilting leaves_

Bagramon stumbles.

The prophecy is one and one and two and-

 _The angel Gabriel has lost his wings._

He can only hear the ringing of the bells, the death knolls of the diamond that decides fate and-

The prophecy is two and one and two in one and-

 _The fallen angel has a false bottom._

Bagramon closes his one eye (the other cries viscous blood into his bleached white hair) and tries to calm the swirling whispers in his head. He has to concentrate, has to hear what's being said, what needs to be made whole and broken to be put in pieces.

 _The angel has lost its wings, for the skeletal remains will fly. The dreams will sink into the earth. The world dyed red will dance under the light of the sun as the rainbow gathers the clovers. There will be a new day, where the sun will forgo the night, but only if the stars fail to twinkle_

He opens his eye again and the socket hurts. Unnecessarily vague and unhelpful. But then, this is god, this is a homeostasis. This is a balance-keeper. It doesn't have to make sense or tell anyone anything smart.

But God, does he wish. Even though he shouldn't wish on God (because they cannot answer anymore), he wishes anyway. He wishes that this world was good and made sense and that the universe was full of love like in the stories. But it is not and he cannot change that fact. He moves forward against that fact.

It is all he can do.

Yet the prophecy dooms him. It dooms everyone by insistent prods at the humans who do not love him, who do not want them. They don't even know that he exists but they doom him anyway. It's a little fitting, if he's going to be honest. If his plan worked, he would doom a countless number of lives.

Sometimes to doom someone was to save them, he supposed. Would that do any good?

The world dyed red…

A golden crown was gathered at the center of the world, at the castle known as the system world, where the conscience slept. The rumors said her sleep had become disturbed and her crown had cracked.

Bagramon opened his eyes to the great tree in front of him and his scarred flesh tingled with a feeling akin to desperation.

 _Here you are._ It was almost like the goddess girl was whispering to him. _Here is an idea. Save yourself._

Save himself? But why? Everyone was going to die in any case. What worth was there in saving himself? Unless there was a way to avert it all and erase this future…

Well, that would be by getting rid of what dyed the world red. That sounded much easier than rebelling against a broken system.

* * *

Taiki loved rain and hated rainy days.

On the surface, this sentence didn't make much sense, but it was the thought he was absolutely sure about. And when you're under the age of ten, you spend a lot of time being both certain and uncertain of a lot of things. It was kind of inevitable.

He had his reasons. Everyone has reasons for why they do anything. His just happened to coincide with the single lily on a classmate's desk and an ambulance siren. But no one would hear those words aloud. No one would see his tears either.

"Taiki, hurry up!"

Taiki obeyed without thinking, recognizing that voice with ease. "Akari, slow down, what's the matter?!" His goggles bounced against his hair, still too loose for his head. They slipped onto his thin collarbone and stung, making him wince. He really wasn't sure what could be the matter when they were barely eight years old and barring sickness and parent things, there was no hurry to go home. There were clubs and things.

Well, now that he thought about it, Akari did have brothers to look after. So she probably needed to get going.

Of course when he reached her halfway down the hall, that wasn't what she was after in the slightest. She was instead staring at the list of clubs tacked to the bulletin board. It strained her neck so much he thought that he could see her veins. Ew. That was weird. "What?" He followed her eyes. "Akari, you hate origami."

She gave him a pinch on the arm and he pouted. "Well, you doooo!"

"I know!" She stomped on foot, making her already loose trousers droop even more. He unconsciously went to fix them. Someday she would remember to wear these right. Or get a smaller size. "But my brothers are better at it than me. It's annoying."

"Oh." Taiki frowned a little. "Well, I can show you how. You don't need a club."

"Dad wants me in a club." Akari huffed. "Says they _build character._ Doesn't your mom want you to?"

"Mom just wants me to get good grades and eat my vegetables and not jump off the swingset or I will break my head," Taiki recited almost like he was on cue. "She probably doesn't want me to do any sports clubs."

"I wouldn't." Akari returned to scanning the club sheets again. "You'd beat out everyone and then it'd be boring."

He pouted at her, cheeks sinking down in the most pitiful way he knew, more even than the last one. "I would not!"

"Not on purpose," she finally conceded and well, Akari probably had a point. If he was really good at using words like conceded in his head he was more than likely to do stuff like that on accident. "But you should do something harmless, like sewing or art."

"Art sounds fine." Taiki scanned the sewing club list and huffed. "Needles though."

Akari shuddered in agreement. "Yeah, never mind. Like bug bites."

" _Ew_." The two of them shook their heads at the same time and left the bulletin board.

"Too bad there's no old games club," Taiki mused, adjusting his backpack to get his umbrella. "You'd be great at that." He put the bright yellow thing over both his own fluffy head of hair and Akari's red one. He always carried an umbrella with him now. Even if it did no one any good, it was almost impulse by now to have it on him. It kept the rain as far away from his head as possible.

Akari made an exasperated face. "Taiki, I have an umbrella too!"

"I knowww!" He held up his. "But mine's big enough, so it's okay right?"

She sighed. It really wasn't a big deal. It was just kinda annoying, like he was trying to be her knight in shining armor or something. She didn't need that, okay? She was seven years old and tough as nails and he knew it.

Walking down the sidewalk was usually quiet on rainy days. Things got canceled, everything was boring, and she wanted to be home as soon as possible before her brothers got home and ruined all of the nice, peaceful quiet. Taiki needed to be home too, just because, well, he did. He was always unhappy on rainy days, though he'd never say it aloud.

He never said anything important aloud. She didn't like it.

If only she could do something about that.

* * *

As he watched the children part, Bagramon watched the boy, drooping in the rain, eyes cloudy with some human emotion that was heavier than Digimon knew. In his mind, the prophecy expanded, speaking of red and blue and purple, but also of pink and orange and teal. She was related to the boy, the red. She was a pillar of the red. If she could be altered, or at least her course changed to one that was more beneficial, then-

Then what? He would be in uncharted territory.

Well, that was fine. The world was going to begin anew. It would just be better if it began anew under him, then it would under the whim of a small, fragile, human boy and the little ones he carried with him, surely.

Imagine if he could bring those visions together. He could do that. That would be enough. Then he could find out how he lost at all.

 _Yet the boy looks familiar… in some way._

Taking a deep breath, he concentrated, concentrated long and hard. The world shot up around him, dulling colors and soul flames snuffing out too fast, too easily. He lands across the street and walks over to her. A cane thunks heavily in his hand.

"Hello there, little one," he croaked. She jumped, dropping her umbrella. Human sentimentality kicked in for her quickly. "Sorry to bother you, but do you know where I can get these old things repaired." He waved a pair of glasses, red frames cracked and dull. Her expression softened, and the old man smiled.

Humans are such easy prey.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** _ Or, the story where Aiko tells canon to take a quick hike and what happens when Akari and Bagramon have an interaction beyond attempted murder. Apparently. Oops. Relatively short and sweet, but the plot should be should be updated every other week or so, once everything is out.

Challenges/Contests: Random Restrict Competition Competition, Monthly Restrict Challenge, Three Sided Box, 100 Prompts, 100 MCs - vision, Diversity Writing Prompt J4.


	2. Chapter 2

_two – and blueprints seemingly appear_

It had been four years, but some things haven't changed.

Bagramon watched things of course, from his carefully constructed castle, from the boundaries of being in a castle that he had helped build. The large world had shrunken down for him almost too quickly. At the rate things were going, the war would begin with a whimper, not a bang. To be honest, he preferred that option. Let the world die in quiet.

Unfortunately, the rebellions, as predicted, have already begun. The Knights were moving on the ground below. They had none of the subtlety he had thought he had for himself. But then, did they actually need it? They were the ones who would have God's justice at their backs, propelling them forward. Cute, in its own way.

To him, it was only a frustrating inconvenience.

But, with the past few weeks of careful effort, he might be in a better place than he was previously. That would be due to-

"My Lord!"

The words always made his skin crawl. "Yes?" Bagramon turned, face drawn into its reflexive despondence. "Troopmon, your report?"

They hesitated. They always do. There are supposed to be subordinates for these sorts of tedious reports. as was one of his favorite things to do.

Well, his subordinates have gone off hunting. It was only natural to speak to him.

"We've found a cluster, My Lord." His voice was quick, if nervous. "They're all resisting, but they have survived."

"Wonderful. Bring me two when they have been cleared."

"At once."

He was left to himself again, which was perfect. The human world, full of nothing now, needed to fall to sleep In its own way, to let its follies drag it down properly. So he waited. There is plenty of time left, ironically.

When they arrived, the lord of darkness almost smiled. He scooped up one and wrapped up the other, freezing it in place. His brother would appreciate the gift, he hoped. He had trouble with gratitude, always had to his own misfortune. He was a little too childish in that sense. But it was also in his being, in his code. He couldn't change that. It even made him endearing sometimes, in an oblivious sort of way.

But for now, he had another task to complete.

 _The world dyed red will dance under the light of the sun._

Not if he dyed it black first.

…

Akari was known for being prepared for most situations. Need food? She could cook a basic meal. She could purify water (that had nothing to do with anything but her parents being obsessed with camping and mountain hikes) Clothes destroyed? She could at least mend them. She knew how to read maps and find the right authority figures. And when it came to Taiki, she knew him pretty well, which was what provided most of her information.

What she was not prepared for? A boy sitting at her bench, sobbing like an agitated toddler.

For the record, she had three little brothers. _Three._ She had patched up scrapes and rocked criers with the best of them. But this was not something she was used to. Obviously, boys cried. But boys her age didn't sit next to a girl and cry, especially not out of the blue. They usually like hid it, or something. Taiki did it all the time she had to yell at him about it! So why was this boy doing it and like, not talking? Or in the bathroom so he could be less embarrassed? Crying in front of a stranger had to be insulting.

But! Akari fiddled with her bag. She had to have some tissues in here somewhere. Just for those days when she wanted to drag Taiki to cute movies that made them both cry. If she could at least give him something to wipe his face, maybe he'd notice his surroundings a bit more and talk about it.

Finally, succeeding in finding a pack of kleenex, Akari leaned over to tap the boy on the shoulder. He didn't look up at first. Then he stared at her with big, wet periwinkle eyes.

 _Foreigner,_ her brain supplied and she caught her mouth to keep from actually saying it. Well, he was either a foreigner, mixed, or a delinquent. Out here, blond wasn't a normal hair color. Then again, hers was red.

"Are you all right," she finally managed to say. He didn't speak. At a loss, Akari offered the tissues to him. He took them, still staring at her like an owl. After a couple of minutes, she made a face. "Look, do I know you?" Akari wasn't irritated exactly, but she was starting to get there.

The boy sniffled and wiped his face. "No, but I..." He looked away and then made himself look back again. "But I know you, and I'm so, so sorry. It's all my fault. Your friends, Taiki-san… he… he..." His shoulders trembled again.

 _Did I just trigger a flag? Am I in a video game now?_ Akari raised her hands quickly, already thinking of scooting away from this weirdo and leaving him to his disturbing thoughts. "Whoa, slow down. What are you talking about?" The words registered fully after a moment and she moved in closer, eyes narrowing into slits. "What was that about Taiki? What are you going to do to him?"

He shivered and she pulled away, a flush crossing over her face. "Sorry," she said, looking down.

The boy sniffled and shook his head. "No, I.. it's my fault. Let me start again." He turned to face her, overalls heavy over his shoulders and digging deep, soulful eyes staring right into hers. "My name is Amano Yuu. For the past week I've been having weird dreams of a pink rabbit who talks to you, and of a boy with brown hair and goggles and… a rose. And-" He looked away. "Some other things."

"How?" It wasn't that she believed him, no not at all. Just… he believed whatever it was. She could at least hear him out. Might make him feel better.

Yuu bit his lip, then opened his mouth to explain. Then he looked away. "You'll… you'll laugh."

"Probably." Oops. "A kind old man told me laughing at yourself is good for you." He was a kind, strange old man, but he appeared once in a while, sometimes when she needed it most.

Yuu tilted his head. "What strange advice."

"You're the strange one," Akari then covered her mouth. "Crap. Did it again."

Yuu laughed. She laughed back. Then she shrugged at him. "You already said a talking pink rabbit?"

Yuu nodded. "Yeah… he's your friend. I don't know how I know that part but I'm sure of that… and there's a very big war." He shook his head quickly. "You're not there for a part… if only you had been. Maybe Taiki-san wouldn't have done what he did."

"Taiki will help people whether I'm around or not," Akari said without missing a beat. "That's the kind of person he is."

Yuu looked at the bench. "Yeah… that's true."

* * *

Bagramon was a patient man.

However, he was a patient man who was no good at reading a map, and thus did not know where he was going.

The thing in his arms squirmed beneath the bundle, wary of the light. "Poor thing," he whispered. "Just a little longer."

It subsided for a moment or two. Then it hissed longingly as one of his targets went running past. There were no footsteps following and he was muttering about the time. The thing hissed again, aiming to leap in his direction. Without too much pressing thought into the matter, Bagramon heeded the beast.

He could use either child, he knew. It would be preferable to use the girl, as no one would notice her, not until it was too late. No one would check the behavior of an older sister surrounded by the stress she went through, as children did stress. She was also red. She could fit the prophecy of Homeostasis perfectly well. However…

The familiar boy was also red. Red as the eyes of the creature in his arms. Red like his favorite shirts. And he had such sweet compassion in his heart. Compassion and power and a mocking kind of perfection filled him like water to a glass.

Yes, he might do that. Well, more like Shademon wasn't giving him much of a choice.

The larvae, small and weak was just insistent enough that it finally broke free of him. It swum through every shadow, every patch of shade, until it touched Kudo Taiki's moving shadow. Then it slithered inside.

Nothing really happened of course. But Bagramon could see what would. The human boy's steps would grow heavy with the bags under his eyes. He would become impulsive, tired, reckless. People would suffer and the spiral would continue, all the way into the darkness of despair. And there would be no hero to save anyone. There would be no delightful, joyous future.

Or maybe there would be more hope than a single person could carry, but he sincerely doubted it. After all, humans had doomed themselves before. What stopped today? Only time.

For now, he turned away. He had a war to oversee.


	3. Chapter 3

_three – the lone observer_

Amano Nene was briefly considering investing in one of those child leashes. For all the complaints her brother regularly made about being in crowds or full of places with people (who he was still afraid of interacting with for some reason.) he sure knew how to disappear into them. It was more than a little annoying. He was twelve, she supposed he would have to deal with these things eventually.

She did wish he would tell her where he was going before he wandered off somewhere though, at least the general direction. He'd been in a funk for the past week after all. It wasn't because they were moving to Hong Kong either. That was fine. He didn't like any of his classmates and leaving before he decided to prove it would only do good things. Maybe it would help her brother get over his strange complex.

She winced and shook her head. She needed to find him first. He'd left his bag.

As she walked, Nene caught sight of a young man looking around the park, much like her. The green goggles on his head glinted in the sun and he shifted from one foot to the other, fingers twisting in their gloves. She felt a small thud of pity, and maybe even understanding. Maybe he would be some help. He probably knew this park better than she did, considering they rarely went to this one.

So, as logic dictated, she approached him. "Excuse me."

He looked up at her and smiled, the reflexive quickness something she knew very well. But it was not quick enough to hide the dull glimmer in those eyes. "Yes?" he said, smile glittering with worry. "Are you okay?"

"Well." She sighed. "I am trying to find my brother and you looked as though you were searching for someone yourself. I thought an extra pair of eyes would help the both of us."

The other immediately smiled and the dull gleam was gone. "That would be a huge help actually! My friend's forgotten about her phone, I think." He bowed his head in a single quick snap. "I'm Kudo Taiki. And you are?"

Nene almost paused for a moment too long. Then her manners caught up with her. "I'm Amano Nene. Pleased to meet you."

Had she imagined that darkness in this boy's eyes?

* * *

The pieces were gathering. They were an inconvenience all together. Separating them, ruining them, would be best.

And Bagramon knew just where to begin.

He landed in a quiet apartment building on the other side of the planet where he had previously been, where a blond young man was scribbling into every paper his hands could reach. Sharp blue eyes lingered on every word, but not the world around him. Yes, he would do nicely.

He placed the white device on an arm of the sofa and vanished.

Aonuma Kiriha didn't notice until night fell and the device screen began to sparkle. But his moment would come. All Bagramon had to do was knock on the door.

That was precisely what he did too. After all, if humans had any dreams left in their heads, it was those of little boys dreaming of adventure. Of heroism. Of escape.

That was an easy trade.

He wanted much the same.

* * *

Nene was taller than him, but he knew exactly where he was going at all times.

"Do you have a mental map?" she couldn't help but ask.

Taiki waved a hand. "Of a sort I guess. I'm here a lot practicing for sports. It's a good park for that, since no one really pays any attention. On that note," He hopped to stand on a bench, which was helpful for avoiding the crowds but probably did nothing in helping him see. "What does your brother look like? Akari's red hair should be pretty visible now."

"He's a blonde." This got him to turn down to look at her. He raised and eyebrow and she chuckled a bit. "It's a long story, as far as I know."

"Ah-huh." Judging by the polite way he went baack to searching, albeit a little bit more carefully now, her extra words hadn't been important. _Maybe he's a simple person like that._

Then, as she made to turn to the other side, maybe take a perch of her own, he hopped down and pointed. "Over there, by the drinking fountains."

Her shoulders sagged with relief. "Wonderful." She was going to have such a word with him for all of this headache.

Taiki smiled at her. "He's very important to you."

There was something weird to those words. Something like an observation or a discontent. She wasn't too sure. "He's my brother," Nene replied instead. "And he doesn't know how to look after himself."

"Akari says the same thing about me." He grinned easily. "I just get distracted. I like helping people. Whenever they need me, I just-" He scratched his head, smile turning sheepish. "I just can't turn my back on them, you know? It's a bad habit."

Nene couldn't help her own smile, the easing tension in her own shoulders.. "It was a very good habit for me. Thank you."

"No, no it was nothing." He waved his hands as they approached the other two. Her brother's face bore clear traces of past crying, but he was smiling and talking to someone else. Well, that was better than nothing. She moved just a tiny bit closer…

And grabbed him right by the ear.

He, like she had expected him to, screamed bloody murder. He opened his then squeezed eyes shut and glowered at her. "Nee-san! That hurt."

"Uh-huh." She fixed him with one of her level unimpressed looks. He looked away and mentally she put another tally mark. Sometimes her brother was a little too meek for his own good. "What were you doing?"

He looked at her face and away from it as quickly as possible. "Making a friend."

"Ah." She smiled at him, then turned to the redhead, who had been in worried conversation with Taiki. "Thank you for looking after him." She bowed and her brother flushed.

"Nee-san..."

The girl shook her head. "No, it, it was fine. He was just telling me some interesting things. He was good company."

Nene didn't have to read people on a daily basis to recognize there were words at the corner of her mouth. She was grateful they weren't said, at least.

"Oh?" She cocked her head towards her brother, who met her eyes and shrugged.

"She listened to me about my dreams."

"Dreams?" This caught Taiki's attention.

Yuu looked away from him, then looked towards him, then looked away. "Dreams of talking monsters. Of you. Of… things and-" He took a deep, shuddering breath. "You. Dead. Dying. Gone. With my best friend."

* * *

The larvae listened but did not comprehend.

It was only mere hours old, after all. It wouldn't comprehend much. But inside this human shadow, one which smelled like everything red both good and bad, it was learning, and learning _quickly_.

It took in the thoughts of its vessel, such pure-hearted, gentle thoughts. There were some darker threads of course, but they melted into the mind with the greatest and most disturbing of ease. It was uncertain what to do with this.

The caretaker had been full of misery and despair, which it supposed was not a shock. So, on that, it was almost a relief to be able to continue in a new, closer vessel.

Still, it fed the information to the caretaker, as that was the wisest course of action at the moment. It didn't even care what the caretaker did with the action. It was interested however. Anything that sent a vessel's blood to chill was a very interesting concept indeed.

Then it paused. A sound. There was a sound. A voice. Calling for help.

The vessel was answering. Why was it doing so? That was curious. That was worth observing. Exploring. So. It would. It did.

Taiki did not notice the red flicker in his eyes, but everyone else did, right before he ran away, towards the voice. Towards the war.

And, inadvertently, towards a very real blade that had almost pierced his heart.

Thankfully he had dodged, but Tsurugi Zenjirou was nothing if not stubborn. And the monster planted inside of him was nothing if not eager to please. Twin shademon chirped at each other in acknowledgment of these facts.

DarkKnightmon, in his hiding place, reveled in the chaos, reveled in the opportunity to sweep the rug from under his feet, even if by picking the most (seemingly) useless vessel for despair and competitive sport possible.

One question did linger in his mind however: where did the human actually get a real sword?


	4. Chapter 4

_four – dual coins_

Hinomoto Akari had not gotten up all those mornings ago intending to go into a inter-dimensional war but somehow she was in one.

If it was still that morning anymore. Her cell phone said the date hadn't changed. Heck, the time hadn't changed much at all if she went by that.

Still, her best friend had gone from a chivalrous idiot with a hero complex to the _general of a war zone._

Needless to say, Akari was not happy about this.

The little dragon, Shoutmon ho had been saved by Taiki's stupid complex, was ecstatic, and that was just disturbing.

Amano Yuu thankfully had more sense than him and he was the one who saw this world in his dreams to begin with. But apparently he'd not seen this part because if he had, according to him, he'd remember. He only remembered the rebellions, and being on the losing side. The deadly one.

She could very easily understand his sister's urge to tie him to a pole after that little revelation.

But for now, they were very much devoted to dodging death bullets.

Dorulumon was not very fast either. So it was a lot of ducking.

To cap it all, Tsurugi Zenjirou, a boy who Akari had never even heard of, seemed bent on cutting off Taiki's head. She wasn't quite sure how he kept failing either.

"Face me properly, Kudo Taiki!" he barked before shuddering, a strange twisting sound happening at his ankles.. It was probably them righting themselves after a seriously nasty fall, courtesy of Kudo Taiki.

"No!" Taiki replied, which he never would have said before. Theoretically. Taiki was supposed to be a noble idiot, and sure, he could be still sometimes. But lately, as battles went on that… changed. But she couldn't put her finger on how.

Akari knew there was strategy to war, that was what caused the two of them to be fighting through bullets because of equal disadvantage. But Taiki being a little too willing to just press onward at points, points where, like in the mines, he could have simply waited, retreated, done everything with fresh troops, or even obliterated the whole problem with DigiMemories he simply pressed onward, well… she wasn't quite sure how to take it.

She still had _no idea_ what had happened in KingWhamon either.

He made his way over to her. "This is not good."

"He'd have less targets if you called the Digimon back," she retorted, dodging another attack. This was from a _fireball_ , how in the-

Then she saw the white color of Shoutmon's eyes and then yanked herself away with sheer willpower.

"Yeah that's not working," Taiki said with a wince. Neither of them could see Nene but considering she was dragging her little brother around like a potato sack, she was likely hidden better than a needle. "Whatever blasted them, I can't snap them out of it. So, somehow, we've either got to knock them out or-"

"Disorient the guy who did this to them, right." Because, realistically, they couldn't just kill the guy. They were still dodging Zenjirou and his messed up sw-

The two of them separated, dodging. Well, mostly. This time Taiki had gone in and actually attacked. He had jabbed an elbow right into what was probably Zenjirou's solar plexus (Akari winced for everyone's benefit.) before running back. Zenjirou coughed and that awful cracking sound came again. Only this time, it was followed by a horrific black flame. Zenjirou howled in pain and lunged forward, swiping the air.

He didn't even notice the bullets still flying. And then one hit-

And promptly melted. His screaming stopped, replaced with a wild, violent charge.

Akari decided forget running, she just needed to pray.

That was when Taiki obscured her field of vision and rolled them out of the way right down into a fissure.

Well, at least they were alive.

Akari thought about this for five seconds until she remembered Yuu and Nene.

Then she hit the ground and stopped thinking entirely.

…

Bagramon, in these short months, had come to the conclusion that he might have miscalculated.

At the very least, he may have miscalculated with his brother, his brother who knew nothing of the prophecy he had seen (because he had chosen not to tell him. He was starting to regret that now.) His brother, who had taken a young civilian and poisoned them for no reason.

Okay, so he had done the same. His Shademon had chosen its own vessel and he hadn't even tried to refute it. That was his own mistake.

But something was warping that Shademon inside that human. It likely wasn't that boy's heart, it would actually be growing, rather than trying to curl in on itself. Darkness and light were what it fed upon. Perhaps his brother was accidentally poisoning it? That wouldn't be much of a surprise, shademon weren't exactly common in the war zones of the Digital World any more. Too many shadows, not enough vessels to walk past them.

He watched from the monitors, from the human boy's eyes. As the second boy raged, his reached to carry his friend. Why was there a difference? How much of it was artificial? How much malice did the boy have really? Or maybe it wasn't trying to eat the darkness at all. Maybe it was something else.

What if the potential of the humans, of the Digimon, was more than this?

It couldn't be but it also could be.

Well, if it was a failure, he would simply put the children to rest himself. That would be atonement enough.

…

Amano Yuu had to remind himself how breathing worked.

In between the roiling sand and the attacks all around, he could be forgiven for not remembering. He grimaced and bit his lips, curled in the safety of an unusual nearby cave and in the more approximate safety of his sister's hold.

Well, he was torn between appreciating it and hating himself. What was he even doing here?

Yes, he had dreamed of the Digital World, but, but not of this. Not of these small battled. He had dreamed of the end, of what he had done. So why was he here now? He was useless now! He couldn't even remember what he had been doing in here originally!

He clenched his fists, only to pause when Nene's hands ran through his hair. It made him swallow, and the tears well up.

He had dragged her back into this. He had dragged his sister into this again, dragged her in by accident, admittedly. But this had been his mistake. He was the one who had killed so many innocent Digimon, or worse, let them be killed. How… He couldn't even find the words.

How did you make this right?

"Ah, I found you!"

Nene tensed around them as Zenjirou came closer, blade in hand. He still seemed completely conscious, if a little weird with that smoking blade in his hand. He smiled at them, eyes lingering with concern on Nene in particular.

"Are you all right?" he said. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you guys get home safe and sound." Yuu's eyes went wide, puzzled, especially the longer he spoke. He lifted a Xros Loader for them to see, gentle ultramarine blue. Its screen countered this by being pitch black. "It's not safe for you here. You don't have Digimon or anything do you?"

He made a face. "Kudo Taiki was too irresponsible, bringing you along. The war between us will be quick. So it's better if you miss it."

Nene searched his face. His feelings were genuine, kind. He wanted to help them, protect them, even though he was wielding such a strange blade.

Yuu squirmed in discomfort. Then he raised his head and shook it once. "I need to be here," he said as firmly as he could. "And Nee-san won't leave me behind. I'm sorry, but no thank you."

Zenjirou let out a sad sigh. "I thought you would say that." He pocketed his Xros Loader. "That means we'll just have to do this the hard way, won't we?"

He raised his blade and the ground started to tremble. The rain of bullets stopped, someone (Shoutmon) swore very loudly. And then golden light rushed from every nearly every nook and crevice.

Nene, watching it rise higher and higher took a second to think it was beautiful. Then she kneed Zenjirou in the groin and ran.

Yuu winced in sympathy.

As they ran, the ground trembled once more and the golden light turned red as blood. Something rose from the red light, up and up until it picked them up in a single flying leap.

"Hehe!" The jet plane looped in the air, oblivious to the humans' possible discomfort. "Gotcha! It's so good to stretch my wings!"

Nene righted herself, looking down at the yellow plane. She blinked. "Erm. And you are…?"

"Sparrowmon!" The little digimon grinned. "I was wondering when I'd find someone to hang out with. You guys will do great! Don't slow me down, okay?"

Nene wanted to protest this on so many levels. Then, however, the soft weight of a Xros Loader touched her hand. Yuu was staring at her: relieved and envious.

She wanted to hand it to him, she really did.

"Let's go to the others," she said instead.

Yuu nodded, looking away towards the ground, where Zenjirou was making to chase after them.

There was no time for envy, only war.

At least that was what Yuu told himself.


	5. Chapter 5

_five – something like belonging_

Taiki woke up rolled on his side and his half-awake brain thought _what truck ran me over?_

Forgive him everyone, he was always a bit slow to catch in in the mornings, or in this case, after a fall off of a cliff. Blinking the stars from his eyes and looking at himself (or what he could see of himself anyway, Akari was taking up a good portion of his position right now), Taiki easily recalled what had happened.

He and Akari had been shot off of a cliff and… survived. How? Why? Did he Digital World just create softer landings? Have weaker gravity? It was a little difficult to figure out through the pounding in his head. He was happy he was alive at least. That was something.

Then he felt the hair on his neck stand on end as something… hissed. Or it seemed like a hiss. It was followed by a delighted chirruping sound. Taiki frowned, moving his head to try and find-oh.

As far as he knew, shadows shouldn't have eyes. _His shadow_ especially shouldn't have eyes, especially that many of them. Regardless, blood red irises all swivel to look at him. Taiki paused. He should feel afraid, disgusted, but looking at the many eyes, he couldn't summon those emotions. Looking at it only felt nostalgic instead.

"Do I know you?" he finally said. His free hand rested on Akari's shoulder, the other searching for the faintest pulse, feeling her breathe. She couldn't die. That would be so unfair. He had dragged her into this, well, him and Yuu, she shouldn't suffer for it. That just wasn't fair. He relaxed a little when she breathed a little stronger, more steady, then looked back to the eyes.

The hissing came again, echoing softly across the stone cliff sides. It slunk and slipped, rising from his shadow like a bird spread its wings.

 _Nice to finally talk._

The words _dripped_ into his brain and Taiki fought down the reflexive urge to recoil. It was only in the outer functions of his mind. The rest of him was strangely at peace, more aware of itself than it really should have been. Or well, it was more aware of the intruder.

"So you know me," Taiki finally said. He wasn't relaxed. Not really. But the rest of him said they should move. So he made himself stand on jelly legs and adjusted Akari so his smaller weight and strength could sustain her. It was a struggle to put her on his back properly and for a moment, panic burnt his tongue and throat. He swayed on his feet. Then the hissing sound came again and his feet caught the ground once more. Something shifted behind him, moving Akari with ease. Taiki resisted the urge to look behind him. It would throw off his balance but it would let him see whatever it was.

Then again, did he really want to… probably not.

Eventually, the shifting stopped and Akari was safely on his back. Her breath tickled his hair, soft and sharp.

"Uhm… thanks?" He offered. He got a gentle noise in reply. Or something like that. IT at least wasn't a hiss. "Do you, well, know the way?"

No response.

He was going to take that as a 'what am I, your GPS'? And start walking.

As he did so, Taiki finally noticed: it wasn't dark down here. In fact it was glowing a brilliant gold. And with every step he took, it only grew brighter. Well, that was as good of a hint as any for what he should be doing. Follow the light.

"Isn't it supposed to be 'don't do that'?" he mused to himself. Then, Taiki felt around his belt. His Xros Loader sat snug inside of it and he pulled it out, raising it above. Maybe he could risk calling them back. They had no clue what the distance was for these things right? And if he could just get to Dorulumon, they would have a method of getting them back up to the surface, to Yuu and Nene. Were they okay? Had Zenjirou attacked them?

Taiki had to remember if he ever had.

…

Unfortunately, while he hadn't before, Zenjirou on the shoulder of that mysterious black knight, seemed definitely prepared to do so now. Or maybe it was just Sparrowmon he was thinking of aiming for. The _knight_ sure seemed to be aiming higher. Nene pushed Yuu's head back down as they climbed and looped in the sky. Nene almost threw up in her mouth. Disgusting. She was never taking a plane again if she didn't have to.

It didn't help that their ride kept diving into the fray to _shoot lasers_ , laughing in glee. Maniac. What a complete maniac who was apparently now her… partner? What did that say about her?

"Nee-san?" Yuu tried to say. "Where… where are Taiki-san's Digimon?"

Nene squinted down as Sparrowmon made another loop back towards the enemy again. At least this time they seemed to be looking for some place to land. She leaned carefully over and saw something moving. "I think that's them down there. Sparrowmon! Can you dive for them?"

The jet made a face like they had swallowed a lemon. "If I gotta!" With a jerk, Sparrowmon went from a straight flight to a downward spiral, hightailing it towards the cliff edge the small pack of Digimon were making for. The golden light continued to shine, admittedly dimming on one side. It continued to dim very slowly in that one-sided way. It was almost like it was following something.

She wanted to think more about it but she raised her Xros Loader up and pressed one of the buttons. Shoutmon barely managed to squawk at her before being sucked in thank god. She at least needed one part of her body that wasn't in absolute agony.

"Okay," she murmured. "Next, we find Taiki-kun and Akari-kun. Brace yourself, Yuu. We're going to dive again."

Yuu nodded, gripping the wing tight with whitened knuckles. Then the dark knight spoke.

"I thought you were going to play my game, Yuu."

His voice was everything Yuu remembered, deep and rich baritone, full of the endearing promises, the tantalizing hopes of everything being _right._ "What changed your mind?"

Yuu swallowed, self-loathing mixing with bile in the back of his throat. He didn't respond until they were diving towards the darkness, when he was pretty sure that the knight couldn't hear him anyway.

"You did."

Only Nene heard, and she didn't understand. But that was all right. She didn't need to. He needed to make this right. When he did… when he did-

He'd see Damemon again. He was sure of it.

As they dove, another thought, almost easy to dismiss, passed into his mind: Ba'almon had stopped firing at them. In fact, he was gone.

...

The thing wasn't very talkative.

Taiki supposed that would only make sense, or he would have found out about it earlier. He continued to step forward. Akari was stirring a little now, which meant she wasn't that injured and could walk soon too… wherever they were going.

Taiki racked his brain to try and figure out just when this had happened. When they came to Dust Zone? When they got here? Before they got dragged to this world to begin with? He hoped that wasn't the case. He couldn't be so unobservant as to miss a giant mass of darkness and a mulitude of eyes latched onto him, right? Right?

 _We're good at hiding. We hid for so long._

Oh, an answer. "Then why talk to me now?"

 _You're different. All… fluffy and worried about things. All thinking about different things. It's weird._

That hadn't really answered his question but all right. He kept walking until he heard the sound of what had to be a safety being taken off.

"No further." Ba'almon's soft, low voice carried, quite easily in fact. "You are treading on sacred ruins, General of Xros Heart. You must go no further. Not while that thing continues to fester in your head."

Taiki paused, and Akari shifted on top of him. "Thing?"

"The shade. The parasite." Ba'almon lowered his gun towards Taiki's shadow. "The foulest of evils, the eater of despair. If you want to live, let me carve it out of you, and perhaps we can save the world after all."

Taiki turned his head. "You want to save the world?"

Ba'almon smiled grimly. "Not as such. But you do. You always do."


	6. Chapter 6

_six – the many seers_

Four years ago, Bagramon had predicted the end of the war through Homeostasis. He had acted accordingly to change his future, as many are ought to do. What he did not count on, was that other people would see that future and also act accordingly.

But now, watching Amano Yuu refuse the destiny his brother had offered, watching his Shademon twist and fall apart attempting to understand things they were simply too young to grasp, he was starting to question things, just a little. When you tried to change the future, something inevitably went wrong somewhere. Well, perhapts if he had told someone what he had seen, something would have changed as well. But life was fickle, and life had decided to tell him it wouldn't all go according to plan. And now, well.

Bagramon had no idea what to do with such outright defiance.

To be fair, no one had seen the entire future, nor did anyone remember it the same way. Deja vu, especially externally inflicted deja vu, was prone to being incomplete and hard to decipher.

Even Bagramon with his eyes that could see and direct souls had limitations, and he was not happy to find that out.

He sat upon his ornate throne and observed the world spiral out of control. Thankfully, Aonuma Kiriha was doing well. He was conquering Zones and spreading despair at an alarming rate. Though, he had to wonder if the boy even knew if he was doing or precisely cared. It was unlikely, but that was to be expected from someone like Kiriha. The child of a businessman, the youngest child of a business man. There was so much to prove. So much potential to trample.

And yet something niggled at his mind. Bagramon couldn't put words to it, but as he watched the children he had chosen to shatter, as he watched one of his Shademon sway into view and lock on his reaper, he couldn't help but remember that nostalgic feeling from years past. It nagged at him now. As though there had been something he should have known, but did not.

"Homeostasis… no." He stopped, saying the name that had been forbidden from texts for century after century. "Yggdrasil. What have you done?"

There was no response of course. And yet something tickled his spine. A feeling that should have entered his brain but didn't. Then, one of the screens gave a brilliant flash before going dead. Soon, all of Dust Zone was obscured, leaving only Aonuma Kiriha on screen. The last image he saw before this was an unusual gleam of power, bursting from Hinomoto Akari.

Well. That told him what to do for now, now did it not?

He called for his generals.

Bagramon called for hell.

…

Taiki found his head surprisingly calm, despite the magical gun poised to shoot his shadow and quite possibly him. But then Ba'almon had been aiming to kill him a lot already, so it may just have been resignation towards the scenario. Akari, however, he couldn't, wouldn't let her die. So he let his mind wander to any thought that took his fancy. He would buy time. Akari was already stirring. Ba'almon was more interested in him and that thing in his shadow than in her. Even if it wasn't enough time, he had to make a way for it to be. There had to be a place to hide in these corners and nooks.

Akari stirred again. Ba'almon's red gaze flicked away.

"Why does it matter to you?" Taiki finally said. He knelt to the ground and with a lot of careful movements, set Akari down. "What this thing does to me, I mean. No one's mentioned it before. No one's noticed it before."

"And how have you been, here?" Ba'almon replied.

Taiki twitched. Answering questions with more questions. It was a helpful time waster but it didn't help. Still, he could play that game. "How so?"

"Do you think teenagers belong on a battlefield? Putting in commands that determine the life or death of army after army, of innocent people trying to live their lives?" Ba'almon watched the boy's face change, turning a keenly pale shade of skin color. "But here you are. You're right here doing things you couldn't have imagined before now. And you haven't lost your mind. In fact, you're quite calm. Disturbingly so even. None of this really bothers you, hm?"

Taiki blinked slowly. 'Well, of course it does. But, I decided to help Shoutmon. I have to see this through to the end. I won't turn my back on him." He took a cautious step towards Ba'almon. "I've seen what your army does to these Zones. All this destruction and misery. All these suffering people. Someone has to do something about it."

"And it has to be you." Ba'almon laughed. He adjusted the direction of the gun. "You always do, Taiki. I followed you because of that, once." He took a step forward himself. "That shade, I was always warned against it. It dulled you, made you complacent, accepting, of awful realities. It drained all of your human emotions, your grief, your fear, your despair, your joy, devouring it until there was nothing left of you but a puppet to eat, a thing to dance about. Once, as an apprentice, my Master made me watch us exorcise one. That Digimon, that little Puchiemon, screamed like he could wake the dead. And then he died."

Taiki was riveted now, watching Ba'almon move closer and closer until the gun could be right in his hands.

 _I'm not doing that!_ Shrieked the thing. Then, a pause, like a human would pause. _Okay, I'm_ kind of _doing that, but I'm not doing it on purpose. You would be dead by now if you panicked all the time._

"I'm sorry, Taiki." Ba'almon's voice was steady, calm. "But I know if you go much further, you will reach the territory of the goddess. I can't let that shade enter such holy territory, even if I do not deserve to be there myself. Not even if it's with you. Now," he lowered the gun towards the shadow once more. "Let me kill it and everything will be fine."

"What will happen if you do that?" He couldn't die here, they had no idea what happened to humans if they died here. (Well, supposedly, Yuu had an idea but he refused to talk about it. And Taiki was starting to guess why.)

Ba'almon's red eyes rested on him. "You've survived plenty Taiki. I believe in you."

"Why?" The exasperation built and finally exploded. "Why do you believe in me? Why do you, all of you, act like I'm so special?!" Taiki shook his head, not noticing someone rising behind him, looking only forward, as he often had to do. "You, Yuu, Shoutmon, I just want to help people! Why are you acting like that's so special?"

"Because it is, Taiki."

Ba'almon's eyes had widened and the creature shrieked in surprise and pain as light and warmth washed gently over Taiki's back. Taiki turned to see Akari on her feet. Everything but the whites of her eyes shone gold, down to the fabric of her clothes. She was smiling, a peaceful smile that was more common for his own face, not hers.

"Who are you?" he asked, as the shade wound and squirmed by his ankles. "You're not Akari." For one thing his best friend didn't literally glow unless squid ink pasta was involved.

The thing with Akari's face smiled. "I am Yggdrasil. One of my conduits is buried here. I'm sorry for such a surprise but your friend needs to heal and she keeps trying to wake up so here I am."

Taiki only blinked. He had none of the understanding of who Yggdrasil was, but he did hear Ba'almon dropped to one knee. His breathing came out choked and ragged and Taiki moved back to look at him. Sure the guy had been pointing a gun at him not even a minute ago but you didn't just go from violent to terror without something being wrong.

"I..." he tried to speak. "I… I can't believe this..."

"Did you think I would let you do this?" 'Yggdrasil', whoever this was, was now frowning. It was complete and utter disappointment. "You treasure this boy so very much, how could I let you?"

Ba'almon seemed to shrink into himself. "Yes, well… I..." Then his head snapped up. "How do you know? You have no medium from that time, how do you know?"

Another smile. "I always have eyes." Then, Akari turned and looked at the wriggling shade. "I watched, for a long, long time. I meant to act sooner. And then, this one acted instead. It acted too quickly itself and did not see everything. But it saw enough for it to search and respond. So it traversed, spreading its message from kin to kin, time to time."

Yggdrasil looked up towards the rapidly approaching speck. "Shadow to shadow, traversing the minds of those with the softest darkness, begging to be saved, begging for action." She looked at Ba'almon. "Through them you and others were able to see the end, the various ends. And I cannot fathom why just yet but-" Then she turned to Taiki. "I am certain, for whatever reason, it has to do with you."

Then something crashed wings smoking. Yuu bounced to the floor and Nene caught herself on the nearest wall.

"Sorry."

"I didn't know Xros Loaders had motion sickness," Dorulumon managed to say.


	7. Chapter 7

_seven – fate's red string_

One Bagra Army General was enough to make a rebel army tremble. Two caused a white flag. Three meant praying for your life.

Fortunately or unfortunately for Dust Zone, there weren't enough living occupants for this to happen. The most living thing there was DarkKnightmon's current charge, and Zenjirou was not interested in them. They weren't Kudo Taiki. They weren't his ultimate rival They also weren't DarkKnightmon himself, who Zenjirou himself didn't trust not to throw him to those metaphorical wolves. That was why he was working with him. It got that final battle he really wanted (possibly wanted more than usual at that, but he hadn't noticed that yet) and kept him away from the others. Seriously, his obsession with Amano Yuu was _creepy._ You didn't call that as you tried to kill someone, as if you were actually disappointed.

He really had just run into a sociopath, didn't he?

Well, it was too late now.

Something squirmed in the pit of his stomach. Zenjirou ignored it and glanced up at the obscured face of the strange knight. "The army is closing in." He stated the obvious and got no rise. Oh e really wasn't interested huh? "We should get going."

For a moment, Zenjirou wondered if this was the moment he had spoken too far. For the most part, the large hunk of scrap had ignored his statements, making them himself when it suited him. But he did have a lance that were at least three of him tall and three thick. He couldn't help but wonder when that would be directed at him.

Well, he might get lucky and be able to get out with those innocent people and avoid the rest. Then again, he probably wouldn't. Especially if DarkKnightmon won.

He just wouldn't roll over and let that happen. But the duel came first. His honor came first. For now.

These Digimon, loyal and strong as they were, just had to understand that.

Eventually, DarkKnightmon let out a sigh. "I suppose we should. There will not be much left of the Zone, especially if the fallen king decides to come into play. We'll abandon this Code Crown."

"Do you really need those?" Zenjirou ventured to ask.

DarkKnightmon regarded him thoughtfully. Then his helmet opened to reveal a monstrous smile. "Not really," he admitted. "But they are good for currying favor."

…

"So, Akari-san is currently getting possessed right now by the equivalent of god?"

Yuu tried to process this, seeing as they were now following the brilliant glow illuminating the cliff walls and there was nothing else to do. That and they were being followed by the Executioner of Bagra Army. Not that he seemed all that violent anymore. Even without seeing his mouth, he was more of a lost puppy. Then again, it was only after evolving that Beelzebumon had shone so brilliantly in the darkness. Yuu remembered that much.

"Kind of," Yggdrasil replied. "I was god for a time, but well." She laughed. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The only reason it hasn't done so with the current god is because that child has no real power at all. I did." She swung Akari's arms with the grace of a ballet dancer. "And when I was made to abdicate, the power was rightfully stripped. Thus was the creation of the Code Crown."

Nene's eyes drifted as they walked. Mostly because Sparrowmon floated just overhead like a great, leaping target. If they weren't so far down, she'd be afraid they'd be noticed. But the ground around them was trembling heavy and quick.

"But those semantics are irrelevant." She picked up her pace. "Right now, we must head as far in as possible to provide an escape route. We'll likely lose the Code Crown for this Zone, seeing as Pharaohmon absconded long ago. So we need to get you out manually. The best place to do that is the ruins of the Sacred Church, where Ba'almon and his companions once prayed." Ba'almon's head snapped up and she shook her head. "Of course, I saw it all. Nothing can change that day, no matter how many times you try. But today can still change tomorrow."

A large piece of rock began to tumble and Sparrowmon quickly shot it out of the air. The group mostly jumped and ran after the hurrying Yggdrasil, ducking as the open area grew smaller and smaller. Nene didn't hesitate to bring Sparrowmon to her but Taiki paused and looked back. He raised his Xros Loader. "Ba'almon," he said. "Come on."

The group paused and Yuu went to him. "Taiki-san we don't have time."

"You need someone to cover you," Taiki pointed out. "And he remembers things, like you. We need all the help we can get."

The logical counter to this was "he just tried to kill us not even half an hour ago.' However, it was very easy to tell that those sorts of rational thoughts would quite frankly not work on Kudo Taiki and as far as Yuu knew never had. Besides, it wasn't like he was wrong.

Ba'almon hesitated then shut his eyes as the Xros Loader sucked him in. Xros Heart followed, for the most part back into the red device.

"Much better!" Shoutmon grunted. "No offense, Nene."

"I'm not sure I can even be offended when running for my life," Nene muttered under her breath. Yuu let out an uncontrolled snort of laughter. Taiki laughed and the small tunnel filled with the sound. Yggdrasil watched them with a fond smile.

"If only I had met you all sooner." There was another loud crash above, making the cave shudder. "Maybe things would have been different. For him, and for me."

"For who?" Yuu twitched with discomfort. Bagramon, maybe? Yuu racked his brain to even remember the fallen angel. He had been so… indifferent with everything. He let things go as they pleased, only to smile when the end would come. Only to look so satisfied, even though he did nothing until the end. An enigma, and one even at the height of his arrogance that Yuu had resolved to stay as far away from as possible.

"Yggdrasil-san?" he tried, feeling the words trip over his tongue. "Were you… acquainted with Bagramon? Do you know what happened?"

"Acquainted?" This laugh tinkled in the air. "In a way yes. He was one of my closest archangels, following me for good or ill. He did not take my disgrace well." Yggdrasil let out a sigh. "He followed Homeostasis of course. It was his duty. But Homeostasis did not take the same pursuits I did. It was much more careful to allow free will to the people. Even when the darkest of prophecies came to be, it let the Digimon, the Royal Knights my trusted accolades decide for themselves." She tutted. "I should have relaxed my leash. Those who are trapped used to being commanded are awful with free will."

She looked up at the crumbling ceiling and shook her head ruefully. "Bagramon was one of those. When the world began to decline, he looked to god for answers. He didn't want to accept that gods didn't have all the answers. We cannot. You must have something to question." With another hefty shove and a beautiful glimmer of light, they entered what looked to be the remains of a chapel. Right after Yuu jumped out, the entrance collapsed, and this time the shaking didn't cease.

"What is that?" Nene asked no one.

Yuu licked his lips. "I think… I think it's Blastmon. The Three Generals… why would they be here?"

"Because you are here." Yggdrasil stepped towards a glimmering, beautiful statue. "I think Bagramon is realizing he has limits. And, Taiki-kun is here after all."

"Me?"

Nene and Yuu actually had to roll their eyes. Yggdrasil giggled like a child.

"Yes," she said. "You. I don't have many memories of that future, but I do know one thing: you change fate."

"Well course he does!" Shoutmon burst out of the Xros Loader. "He saved me from dying! What else is he gonna do?"

Taiki flushed and even in the glimmering light, it was fairly obvious. The group found themselves laughing again.

Yggdrasil stumbled and blinked. "Oh dear, she's waking up. I suppose that's my cue. Touch that statue, Taiki and you'll open a gate out of here. Even I don't know where it leads. But I do know one thing: if you can gather everyone once more, you will achieve the peaceful world you search for. And that means everyone. Even that little thing hiding in you. It's just as scared as the rest of you children."

Akari then toppled to the floor, groaning in pain. Nene rushed to catch her and looked up at Taiki. Taiki stared off into space as dust crumbled from above.

Then, he let out a soft, weary groan. "Okay then," he said to himself. "No pressure."


	8. Chapter 8

_eight – in the way of power_

The fact that the heavy hitters of an army had congregated on one Zone had not gone unnoticed. For most this was a relief, a respite from the tacticians and their brutality. Well, most of them anyway.

In Disk Zone, there was no such relief. Blue Flare waged a one-sided conquest on these people, searching for a power he could not have. A resistance, a torment. He brought despair on everyone he crossed. Then he killed them. IT was a brutal, efficient slaughter. Except it bored him.

Lucky for Kiriha, he wasn't prepared for the sudden explosion of raw power followed by a fist to the face of his MetalGreymon. Wait, what do you mean, that wasn't lucky? Well, it was lucky for Shoutmon.

Kiriha, thankfully, was ever unflappable so long as the world revolved on its axis and he could counterattack. So as long as the world revolved around him, it was fine.

Then, of course, Taiki decked him in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

It wasn't that Kiriha was weak, nor was it that he was just surprised. It was that Taiki was an easily forgettable wild card. He was an ordinary human with a kind heart. He wasn't supposed to flying punch people. But then, those were Bagramon's words, not Kiriha's analysis. Not to mention that no one knows about the events in the ruin. Taiki would prefer to keep it that way if it was all the same to the rest of you. They were really on a time limit. They had to make it to the Bagra Army stronghold as quickly as possible, in order to confront the man himself. If he really did see the past, then at least telling him what was going on would surely be enough to stop him. Or at least it would make him falter.

That didn't mean Taiki was just going to let Kiriha attack some Digimon for fun, or at the very least not save them from the mess he had made himself. Responsibility for one's negative action probably escaped Kiriha like butter on anything. He was much more used to dealing with the fallout from other people. That couldn't be helped.

So he was mostly caught up in everything surrounding the punch, leading him to be wide open to Yuu snatching his Xros Loader and fleeing into the destruction.

MetalGreymon was quicker on the recovery, slamming his trident arm into Shoutmon's side. The current mech fired lasers straight towards the visor with a low grunt of pain.

MetalGreymon simply threw the mech over his shoulder. The resounding crash and shatter, sent fissures into the ground. Shoutmon X5 grunted in agony, then picked himself up, mic swinging hard and fast into exposed flesh. Giga Destroyer flew wide, raining shots of flame.

Taiki, dragging Kirha back to the ground, had to wonder if any of this was remotely necessary.

Well, except Nene's rope. That was definitely kind of important. It held Kiriha there nice and easy and let Yuu come back. Taiki didn't let up on him either. He didn't exactly trust Kiriha not to have some kind of escape plan.

"Not bad," Kiriha finally said, once the dust died down and the only other sounds were that of the stone crumbling. "I have to say: I didn't think you had it in you." His smirk gave him away. Poker faces were clearly not Kiriha's specialty. They were Taiki's however, Taiki and Yuu both. So Yuu did not come any closer, instead eyeing MetalGreymon with concern as he rose back up. He lumbered to face Shoutmon X5 once more, seeming to ignore the fact that Kiriha managed to have been captured and held down.

"Sore loser, huh?" Shoutmon challenged, trying to grin without a mouth.

Another grunt, then came the familiar whine of lasers powering up.

Shoutmon's response? "Aw hell."

Something exploded and quite nicely at that.

…

"You ready to quit yet?"

No, Kiriha was sure as hell not ready to quit yet. Not in the face of whatever he had just witnessed. Not even with a yellow rocket blaster fully aimed at his head. But hey, he was a man with pride and honor somewhere in his gut. Shoutmon would admire it if he wasn't an utter bastard.

Not that Taiki was paying attention. He was soothing the terrified citizens. Yuu was watching Kiriha instead, with wary eyes that would be almost worthy of respect if it wasn't pointless. Amano Yuu, as far as he knew, had no Digimon of his own. He couldn't take command of Taiki's army (or was it wouldn't? There was a significant difference.) . So he stood there and could pretend to be intimidating for anyone who was stupid enough to believe it. Kiriha was not. He just needed an instant to grab his weapon again. He had an army after all. He was prepared.

"I wouldn't do that."

Amano Nene. The actual threat. A mother bird with a real beak. Kiriha grimaced at the feel of sharp metal (or was it glass? He couldn't see.) touching his ear.

"Where did you get something like that?"

"It's a piece of Disk Zone."

The unspoken words made him grimace. He should have remembered. Everything was an enemy, even your environment.

"Relax." The last human, the redhead girl with a name like light or something, knelt in front of him. The last images he had had of her were full of terror and dismay. The eyes on him now contained none of that, only stern warning. "We're just gonna talk. But we can't do that with you and your dragon firing lasers at everyone."

"Talk about what?"

"Bagramon." Taiki was walking back now, and though he had a stern look on his face, Kiriha didn't have to be a genius to recognize fear in the most hidden part of his expression. He would know he had worn that face through the entire wake of his parents. He had seen it in the mirror. Something scared him, and it wasn't Kiriha.

Somehow that was really god damn annoying.

"What about him?" He raised an eyebrow. "He gave me his Xros Loader, let me loose. There a problem with that?"

"You're a problem," the redhead muttered.

Taiki shook his head, fingers twitching. "He's going to destroy the human world."

For a moment, Kiriha let the words sink in. Then he let out a snort. "That's news to you?"

"Not really." Nene's voice was followed by a sharp pain as her knee dug into his spine."Just wondered if it affected your decision at all."

"I plan on defeating him and his army anyway, so it doesn't, really." He pressed his palms into the trembling earth. "Aren't you doing the same? This is a bad way to form an alliance, you know?"

Redhead bit her lip and then her creased face smoothed out. "It's kinda hard to feel bad considering what you were just doing."

"They're weak." He tried to shrug. "This is their lot in life. It was mine too, you know. It's not like I don't feel bad."

"If you felt bad, you'd quit," the red head said with a scoff, ignoring the looks that Yuu was shooting her, full of misery and some weird sort of guilt.

Kiriha breathed sharply because holy crap having a knee against your spine for that long actually did hurt wow. Then he rolled his eyes. "We're at war. Not a peace coalition. The Code Crown responds to a changing of rule. Nothing else. I have to prove I'm changing it."

"And now it's dying." She crossed her arms. "If this territory is yours, then fix it."

"And waste the power?" He scoffs. "No."

"Do it!"

"Make me you sack of cannon fodder."

Taiki taps his foot. "Then give it to me." He sounds suddenly tired. "We all need soldiers. And we all need background measures. They can provide that."

He scowls. "You beat me once, and you're demanding favors."

"Twice," Taiki corrects, voice smooth. "Skin of our teeth, it was still a defeat."

… Kiriha had been hoping Green Zone had been forgotten. But then, of course it hadn't. "We're going to be enemies in the end. Why would I give you an advantage?"

"You're too proud to do anything else." Nene's voice was amused. But Kiriha was refusing to look at her cheating tactical eyes and is looking at the boy who suddenly looks like he's fighting hard and not fighting passive-aggressive.

"I'll fight you when Bagramon is defeated." Taiki knelt down beside him. "Shoutmon and our elite troops against you and yours. But until then, until he and DarkKnightmon are taken down, I say we work together."

Kiriha glared up at him and Taiki only returned it.

"Never do this again."

Taiki nodded once. "Make sure I don't have to."


	9. Chapter 9

_nine – the dark knight_

There was something wrong with tonight.

Zenjirou couldn't quite place it but in between each sword swing he felt something wrong, something like a shadowy curtain, hang over the castle., over himself

DarkKnightmon had been gone for a few days now. Doing what, Zenjirou hadn't asked. Seeing as he hardly had to do much when there wasn't a battle, Zenjirou had devoted himself to training. He could nearly break the shinai's handle now, and sometimes swept his real blade with too much force. He noted it and worked around it, but everyone in this army seemed to prefer it that way, nothing but oppression, nothing but pain.

 _That was exactly what I was afraid of._

DarkKnightmon, like every middle school sport captain, had come to him asking for help and promising something in return. Promising prestige and glory, the only things a middle school student depending upon scholarship like him in the future, could easily own. And yet, and yet he had promised. A harmless universe, where everything was fun and safe.

Where he could, in essence, be Peter Pan in Neverland.

Zenjirou's eye twitched at the thought of it. The problem with being a Peter Pan was a lack of further growth. Muscle growth would be harder, if not impossible, and he lived in a world of monsters with opinions. You didn't have to be a genius to recognize how much of a colossal miscalculation it would be to live here. The monsters were as sapient as he was, mostly. But he had agreed, if only out of self-preservation. Or worse, in case the giant walking weapon of mass destruction had decided to try and dupe somebody else.

He wasn't even sure if he could leave now without being noticed. Well, the way the man was gone so much he'd have at least a day… if he knew where he was even going to go. Finding Kudo Taiki was harder than it sounded, considering how bombastic his partner was as a matter of course… wait.

He idly went to pick up the blue Xros Loader. It hummed pleasantly in his palm. Idly, he began to swipe through the functions, unable to sit still.

"Zenjirou-sama?"

Zenjirou nearly jumped out of his shirt (and almost tore the rest of the seams, he needed a new one of it, it had gotten ragged and useless now in all of the fighting, much like his pants.) and looked to the doorway. It was the little poop ninja who smiled at everything and looked all too happy to get what he wanted. He sure didn't seem to be smiling now, his little round mouth turned into a deep and heavy frown. Was the little guy concerned? That was… nice, in its own way. The concern easily could have been meant for someone else, but that it might have been for him was a pleasant thought.

"Yeah, sorry?" He turned to face him, blade in hand. DarkKnightmon had pressed it none too gently into his hand before he had left, smiling all the while behind his mask like he had given a great gift. And at any other time, it would have been. It would have been an honor to be given a weapon and a way to charge and fight and improve. But now it just made him ill. He hadn't taken it from the cloth carrier he was keeping it in in a few days, and everything felt wrong as a result. The second he did, he knew he would have to kill someone with it again. That was the kind of man that knight was.

Damemon's frown deepened slightly. "You have been lost in thought lately. You have not been training. I was concerned something had happened to you, Zenjirou-sama."

"Oh." Zenjirou's hunched shoulders relaxed slightly. "No, no, I'm just thinking. Sorry. You don't have to worry."

"If you are worried about something, then I, your retainer, will be happy to hear about it." Damemon's declaration would have been much more sincere sounding if he didn't sound like a clown. "I am not a front lines battlefield member as you are, but I have experience in warfare and combat. Surely, I can attempt to ease your mind."

Zenjirou hesitated. Damemon may call himself his retainer, but the poop ninja worked for the dark knight. For all he knew that meant betrayal would come at any time. Hopefully not anytime soon, but it was a possibility. Still, he was still needed until DarkKnightmon figured out how to get rid of him. "I… do you think DarkKnightmon is going to succeed at his desires?"

Damemon opened his mouth, then closed it.

Zenjirou plowed forward, as was his tendency. "I don't want to die to make his ambitions succeed and, I'm not certain that this senseless raiding is doing me any good and improving me any. And this blade… it is much too heavy for a human like me to wield. I… I do not feel trustworthy for this endeavor. I-"

"You don't want to fight those other humans anymore, do you Zenjirou-sama?"

Zenjirou's stiff upper lip didn't crumple, but he managed to nod.

Damemon's whole body seemed to slump. "I feel the same way."

Zenjirou felt relief for a second. Then he felt nausea like a stab to the gut.

He threw up black sludge and something hissed.

…

Blastmon, Kiriha decided, would not reincarnate after he won the war. If he wanted brute, stupid muscle, he'd get another Cyberdramon. That thing was enough crazy rabid power to last a lifetime. And the guy just. Didn't. _Stop._

"MetalGreymon! Above you!" The last minute order lost Kiriha a good chunk of hair but it kept his ear so he was going to count his blessings. "God what an animal."

"I think we could accuse you of that too," muttered the redhead, ducking behind a stone. "How did he get us, anyway?"

"Bad luck on Nene's part probably," Kiriha said with a dismissive handwave. "Or that kid you all keep toting around. He's not all that useful, why not leave him behind?"

Akari looked at him and he's suddenly very glad she was the one he blurted that out to. Then she looked away. "It's complicated."

"We're fighting a gem monster with mechanized dragons and lasers," He replied idly, pausing to peek at X4 as it stubbornly shoved its sword in front of him on sheer willpower. "And fire swords. I can do complicated, redhead."

She looked at him with that expression that he had often equated with contemplation of defenestration. "Prophetic time travel dreams."

"… Huh." Kiriha shook his head. "So we've got you the support, the tactician thief with a psycho plane, oracle boy and… whatever Taiki is. And me."

"If you say you're the only sane man, I'm going to deck you hard enough to hit Blastmon." Kiriha wisely kept his mouth shut as Blastmon fell backwards with a roar of rage.

"No! This must be conquered! I will conquer it! For the sake of the final dream!"

Kiriha frowned. "For the sake of what?"

"Peace!" Blastmon laughed low, licking his lips. "Peace and gemstones and sleep! The end of the world is to be spent with things that make us happy! And I know what does for me! So I will conquer this zone and make this real! Only I can! Anyone else would waste their time!" And with another roar, gemstones careened out from his body. MetalGreymon and X4 managed to smash quite a few. Sparrowmon drove forward, gleefully blasting away at anything in his path.

Unfortunately, it missed one and was heading straight towards Taiki. Or at least it had been until his shadow rose up from the ground and opened a mouth wide as the boy was tall and swallowed it whole.

Taiki visibly shuddered, groaning with distaste. "Did you have to eat it?" His shadow only groaned with disappointment. It had not tasted good, apparently.

Kiriha couldn't help his smug smile as he watched Akari heft herself up from her safe spot. "I'm pretty sure I'm the only sane man," he managed to quip.

She decked him in the face as she passed. It didn't knock him into the fight, but Kiriha through the broken nose gave her kudos for trying.

Of course every thought in that general direction was ruined by Blastmon's final, feral screech as his body erupted with light as hot as the sun. Kiriha couldn't even remember this sort of pain. Not even the car crash, not even the smell of death and decay, not even days of hunger because he had never bought things for himself before and hadn't known where to start.

This was a thousand times worse.

They were left sprawled on the ground, Xrossed Digimon in pieces.

Blastmon roared again, rage and something other, something like fear having reduced him to incoherence as he crouched into a ball. He prepared to roll, tumbling towards Yuu at a terrifying pace.

Yuu struggled to get up, body blistering, clothes smoking.

And Nene, dear idiot brave girl, was already running.

The only question now would be: who would get there first?


	10. Chapter 10

_ten – the brilliant resonance_

Just like no one expects the Spanish Inquisition, no one expected a ninja to teleport in and save Yuu's life. To be fair it was a Digimon ninja and they were clearly fast enough to avoid the speed of a raging General in ball form _and_ bring Yuu and Nene to safety.

No one also expected Tsurugi Zenjirou to come out of nowhere and open a Zone transfer for Blastmon to go rolling through it and out of sight.

Both of these things happened though and the sheer anticlimax was what caused Taiki to slump over. "Did he just?" he mumbled. Shademon let out a sound of dismay and also relief. The creature then proceeded to dry heave, spitting out the too large crystal. "Thanks for that," he grumbled, pulling himself back up to his feet and approaching Zenjirou. Everyone, thankfully, was too far away to physically stop him from doing so. Otherwise things were definitely going to be messier than they actually were.

"Well," he said, putting his hands in his pockets. "That was neat." Taiki was still smiling, but even as Kiriha struggled to get himself over there, he could _feel_ the undercurrent of high pressure of something too big, too much bearing down on someone who had tried to kill them with a sword at least once. "You sure that was a good idea?"

The two of them stared at each other and only one looked like a deer caught in headlights. Zenjirou, to his credit, managed a weak shrug. He looked terrible, tan skin now an ugly, pale bruised sort. But his brown eyes glimmered

"Supposedly different factions," he said. "And they didn't see my face! I'm all right!"

Every human in the area felt sweat drip down their necks.

"Zenjirou-sama," chimed the new Digimon's low voice from one of the few remaining trees. Yuu flinched. "Optimism may not be your strongest suit at this point."

"Hmm… you think so?"

"I certainly do." Kiriha had made it over to them this time and when he did, he proceeded to tackle Zenjirou to the ground.

* * *

It had taken Yuu, Nene, and Taiki to pull Kiriha and Zenjirou apart and to be fair, Zenjirou gave as good as he got. Akari had managed to tie them both up with Shademon's help despite the monster's clear lack of hands. They were already used to the uncanny valley that was the shadow with eyes. It was inevitable considering everything else they were fighting.

That didn't stop Akari from watching Taiki a little more often, or Ba'almon's wary eyes upon his constantly flicking shoulder. Yuu doesn't seem to care, flitting from one side of him to another with awe in his eyes when he thinks that no one's watching.

Zenjirou watched this, a vague concern stirring in his gut. That's not normal. It didn't help when the creature snaked closer to him from Taiki's outstretched hand, coiling around and sniffing anywhere from his neck to his ear. Then it wiggled lower, brushing his belt and snatching the Xros Loader properly. Only then did it unwind, bringing the black device back to its holder. Taiki examined it. Then he turned back to Yuu, who was already holding out his hand to it and seemingly trying to avoid looking at the yellow and white Digimon that devoted itself to Zenjirou's service.

"They used to look like this," he said after a moment of turning it over. Zenjirou twitched, arms straining under the rope. "Before they changed fully. I guess it's incomplete or something."

"Someone had a change of heart?" Kiriha muttered, voice snide and amused.

"Not all of us can have an ego the size of the Tokyo Tower," Nene countered without hesitation. Akari giggled and took it from Yuu.

"You'll get this back when we get to a safe zone," she told Zenjirou as they hauled him up to his feet. "And… your sword I guess." Taiki was holding that, examining it with his fingers. Akari looked prepared to snatch that from him too, but thankfully she didn't try.

Zenjirou sighed. "I suppose I can accept such a response. We did attack each other, after all."

Kiriha grunted, picking himself up from the ground. His hands remained tied tight no matter how much he tugged. "What the hell kind of knots are these?"

"Dad uses them more for the climb up ropes," Taiki replied with a grin. "He taught Akari and I all about them… and how to climb them."

"That was a mistake that should never have happened," Akari grumbled. "Teaching you sports, teaching you things. Should have let you teach yourself."

"I wouldn't trust me by myself," Taiki said with such a serious, severe expression they all snorted. Even Yuu had lost the stars in his eyes for long enough. "So you had to learn too."

Akari made a face but did not disagree. Then she sighed. "Our parents are going to be pissed huh?"

All of them paused. Then Kiriha chortled, too cold and sharp. "Mine are dead, they'd probably cheer me on."

Akari raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me for bringing up a sore spot."

Kiriha snorted at her. "Apologize properly by untying me, and I'll consider your redemption."

Akari muttered something about melodramatic blonds but went along with it. Yuu, thankfully, stared at her. He did not get dignified with a response.

Zenjirou, to Kiriha's annoyance, only laughed.

* * *

Bagramon, sitting comfortably on his throne, observed them all. His crystal eye wept red as he stared, unblinking, beyond the room to the pawns of the war.

"My brother," he mused. "Terrible at keeping allies. Good at getting them, I suppose." But then, was it an alliance or more of hiring a mercenary?

Bagramon let out a sigh. The world was ending. It was rotting slowly in its core, going to sleep like a patient with an incurable disease. And all he could do was watch, even still. Watch, or let it die faster.

The children didn't even know what they were rebelling against, really. That was a shame. The world had formed and strengthened from teenage rebellion. But the force was unstoppable. Destiny, this far along, could not be changed. He would not allow it to be so. Not if it left the world in a terrible half-state that could not be repaired. Which it couldn't, he was sure, completely sure.

 _Did I say such a thing?_

Bagramon started, eyes snapping open. They had slid closed in the interim. The humans must not have been doing anything all that interesting. Otherwise he would not have dreamed of hearing their voice again, the voice of the errant child, telling them what to do.

 _Things are final only because you make them so, honored father, and only because you will it so. Change is always possible, so long as we wish for it, in some manner._

Bagramon set his expression. "You always say such things and they never seem anymore true than the last time."

 _Just as you say the opposite, honored father and it is only true because you wish it to be._

And the voice fell silent and the room went still. Bagramon settled back into his throne chair for a moment, raising his arm to observe once more.

Then, Homeostasis hummed, in her way, _perhaps, things are not as certain as we pretend they should be._

Bagramon let out a sound, quite possibly like a snarl, and rose from his throne.

* * *

Three hours into the second watch, Akari felt a sickening sensation in her stomach.

She didn't like taking the middle watch. Even if she was tired and would eventually sleep when it was over, it was awkward knowing you immediately had to trust someone else to not stab you as you trudged back off to bed. And it was awfully quiet tonight, which helped absolutely no one.

Cutemon slept quietly in her arms, even though he was supposed to be helping her stay awake. He'd lied. She smiled and scratched behind his antennae. He snuffled. Dorulumon claimed he couldn't hurt a flymon if it hatched out of an egg (she had so many questions about that turn of phrase, namely the size of a flymon). That said he was still an active Digimon who had attacks, so he had to be able to do something.

 _Everyone can_ do _something, Akari-chan. The problem is knowing if it will be done._

Akari jumped, looking around. The voice paused.

 _Oh, I'm so sorry, I forgot you and I didn't manage to speak last time. Well, that must be fixed. I am Mikihara Norn, otherwise known as Yggdrasil. And you are Hinomoto Akari, child of courage._

… Where did she even _start_ with that?

The voice in her head sighed gently. _I do apologize for bothering you so suddenly, but I need to speak with Taiki-kun. I'm afraid it's rather urgent. His father is looking for him, and I don't know how much longer Homeostasis and I can distract him._

Taiki's… dad? What did Taiki's dad, a sports coach who was currently running training at the University of Tokyo, know about the Digital World?

 _No, no, not him. Bagramon! He's looking for Taiki. He's come to the wrong conclusion entirely._

Akari's shout woke the whole camp. _"What?"_


	11. Chapter 11

_eleven – these long lost ties_

"I… my dad is _who?"_

Nene, taking time out of her day to be a kind, sensitive soul, took a moment to rub Taiki's shoulders in the most understanding way possible. Needless to say, it did not help. Taiki's grey eyes seemed fully prepared to stay the size of tea saucers. "I've met my dad!" he said. "We look alike! He raised me! Bagramon is… there's no way he would be my dad! I'd have noticed the army outside of my house!"

Akari raised a hand to stop him, as Shademon curled around his legs. Out of everyone, this seemed to bug the little monster the least. But then, the creature would fail to understand the importance of Taiki possibly being _not human._

 _Honestly that's not the worst thing I can tell him._

Akari's eye twitched. "What could be worse than that?"

She swore the woman might be smiling inside of her head. _I'm his mother._

"You are not. I met her."

 _Yes and I birthed him. She raised him. Bless that woman. She didn't really have to. But humans are easily fooled by cute objects, yourself included._

"I don't want to hear it." Taiki sounded positively ill, which she couldn't blame him for. Not so much that the people who raised him had lied to him, as far as they had been concerned, they were his parents. That was how they were. But that he was _not human_ at all, in any way, and just looked like one, was likely more rattling than almost anything else. "I… why?"

 _Tell him there are a lot of 'whys', but as a man once said, the song of love alone won't change the world. It won't change a mind. It will just make things bearable. We were not willing to work through all of the pain and troubles, but we tried, truly, we did. But Bagramon has always struggled with the concept of hope. He took things too close to his heart._

"Then, then wait, where were you before?" Yuu managed to speak up after Akari, reluctantly, translated. At least she was listening, helping, being useful. For only so long, it was still better than him. "You were never there when we, when I-" He faltered. He had never finished the sentence really, not properly. He had never wanted to talk about it, and the way he looked at Zenjirou spoke as if he never would.

 _When you were the one these children had to fight, yes. In that time, Bagramon was content with the path of the universe. He had hardened his heart to let the world destroy itself, for his ambitions, he was willing to throw away everything. He'd had time to do so. Now, however, the Code Crowns are not being collected fast enough. The gradual plan of the Dark Stone he had left to DarkKnightmon has not been able to happen. And…_

"And what?" Akari winced because of the way Taiki's tone had turned. It was fury, low fury, sweet fury, that promise of retribution that Taiki rarely ever had.

 _And he has never met you,_ finished the goddess. _He had never watched you like I had. He had refused to know your face, that you were real and living and would hurt over this. By the time you met on the battlefield, it was too late for him to realize, and as far as he was concerned, too late for him to stop. He tends to think there is no way to change the course you set yourself on._

Taiki made a sound that had no human tongue or understanding, just acute distress. "So everyone is supposed to die because he's proud?"

"Seems legit."

Half the crowd glared at Kiriha, but Taiki only laughed.

"He's right."He rubbed his eyes with his palms. "Proof," he spat out, firm and clear and unwavering, despite himself. "I need proof, of all of this."

 _Understandable. Shademon would have destroyed a human, consumed it, before speaking with one. You are the more in control here. That is an example. But… and more importantly, can you hear this?_

For a moment, the world was still, quiet, silent. As if through water and walls and down three blocks, Akari could hear sound. A song, or the faintest thrum of strings, or the sound of faded piano

Then Taiki let out a loud, pained, wordless howl. He clutched at his head, fingers digging into his earlobes. His shadow twitched and thrashed as Akari ran over to him, the creature moving so much it couldn't even bite back in defense. Nene and Yuu moved to their feet as Zenjiro stepped between them. Only Kiriha didn't move, a single blonde eyebrow raised.

"What the heck was that?" Taiki finally managed to say, eyes watering.

 _My melody. As a godling, you of course can hear them. Why else would you have heard Shoutmon's voice? His regrets? His pleas?_

"I get your point." He straightened up, looked them all in the eye. "We need to start collecting Code Crowns. If he's going to succeed, he'll need a lot of them. And they might have the collective power to stop him in his tracks. Or at least mitigate the damage? Right?"

"Possible, but slow." Kiriha grinned, a thing that was nothing but pure teeth. "You have the larger, less combat oriented army. My army and I are more than capable of fighting him now without that." There was another glitter in his eyes, much colder than his already frigid stare.

 _I doubt that._

Akari almost laughed. Then she sobered. It was probably true that out of all of them that Kiriha had the best track record of succeeding to kill things, of managing to destroy everything in their path. And he was the least emotionally invested. So he could definitely buy them some time. But could he be trusted to not die in the process? Or to not betray them at a supposedly opportune moment?

"You can't," Kiriha said and Akari's face burned, realizing the words had fallen out of her mouth. "But you're gonna have to try. Your dunderhead's good at that right?"

"Right here, thanks." Taiki kept his voice deliberately unimpressed. Though his grey eyes sparkled with something, a little more of himself.

"You're taking your lack of humanity awfully well." Kiriha's voice was equally as dry. "Barring the screaming and general staring off into space. Must be some brain cells dislodged in there."

"I'm in shock, I'll get to borrowing your angst in due time."

Yuu coughed, laughing through teary eyes. "He's worse than you know, Taiki-san, he really is."

"And I'm sure you're a paragon of virtue and optimism," Kiriha said with a single arched eyebrow. He raised his Xros Loader. "Now if you excuse me, I have a score to settle."

Nene snorted. "How noble."

"Indeed, much more noble than you." And he rose onto Mailbirdramon and disappeared without even a goodbye.

Zenjirou broke the silence a moment later. "He sure is cheerful, isn't he?"

Nene snorted out a laugh in response.

* * *

Eventually, they all fell into an uneasy sleep. All except one.

Yuu sat up still, back against Nene's as she slept in her uneasy near-ball on the ground. He stared up at the sky instead. In the time following Kiriha leaving in the dead of night and the bombshell that was apparently a goddess possessing Akari and revealing Taiki was not even human, everyone, even Zenjirou, had tried to slip back to sleep again until the sun rose. The three exceptions were Shoutmon, who had run off somewhere, Ba'almon, who had gone after him, and Yuu himself. His mind was like a tornado, spinning from everything he had just heard.

"It explains so much," he said to himself. "People aren't able to be that kind. It's just that Taiki-san is special. That's why he could stay the way he did for so long. And he still..."

 _And I still remember him dying._

 _No,_ he reminded himself. _No I don't._ Yuu remembered the roses connected to their hearts. He remembered the game he had created. He remembered losing. He remembered the rose disappearing… and him surviving. But he didn't remember Taiki dying. He remembered-

"Yuu?"

Oh gods. Yuu wanted to look and at the same time, he did not want to look. He gripped his pant legs, shuddering in place.

"Yuu," repeated the voice in Zenjirou's – his own – Xros Loader. "Yuu, I'm sorry."

"For what?" Damn it he hadn't meant to talk. "I killed you, what do you have to apologize to me for?"

"I..." Damemon's voice ached in his chest. "There are a lot of reasons."

"Like?" Then Yuu froze up. "You remember."

"Yes. I remember… and I know what happened after that. I was there, with all the rest of the dead."

Yuu didn't want to hear it. He truly didn't. And yet his mouth went before his brain. "Xros Heart lost, didn't they?" Why else would he have to remember that? Relive that? Why else would he be here?

"No." Damemon's voice sounded so, so so tired. "Xros Heart was only the beginning."


End file.
